Gun-pointing accessory



@Ct. 10, 1939. c TRIMBACH 2,175,931

GUN-POINTING ACCESSORY 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 51, 1957' INVENTOR CLEM-G.T1MBACH.

Filed March 31, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 iNVENTOR CLEM G.TR1MBACH.

' Gd. 10, 1939. v c TR|MBTACH 2,175,931

GUN-POINTING ACCESSORY Filed March 31; 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR 0d. 10, 1939. c. G. TRIMBACH GUN-POINTING ACCESSORY Filed March 31, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR CLEM CLTRIMBACH. BY

I ATTORNEY Patented ct. 11%, 1939 GUN-IOWTING ACCESSORY Clem G. Trimbach, Eggertsville, N. Y., assignor to Curtiss-Wright Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application March 31,

2 Claims.

This invention relates to aircraft armament, being particularly concerned with improvements in operating facilities for flexibly mounted machine guns.

5 For some time past, it has been common practice to flexibly mount a gun on a carriage movable along a track bordering the aircraft cockpit. When .30 caliber guns are used, the gunner takes a position directly back of the gun, aiming l and firing the gun by using the grips and trigger at the rear end thereof. Recently, larger guns such as the .50 caliber type are being flexibly mounted in aircraft and when the cockpit is commodious, the same operating technique as for l the smaller guns may be resorted to. But when the large gun is used in smaller aircraft where cockpit size is limited, there is not suificient room behind the gun for the gunner to have reasonable freedom of action.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide means by which a gunner may operate a large machine gun in constricted quarters. Associated objects are to arrange the gun for side operation, rather than for rear 5 operation, to provide suitable stocks and grips on the gun so that the gunner may have firm and comfortable control of the gun at all times, to provide trigger and safety mechanisms to control gun-fire conveniently disposed to facilitate proper 30 gun operation, and to provide means by which the stocks and grips may be readily adjusted to accommodate gunners of different stature.

Further objects will be apparent from, or will be pointed out in, the following detailed description 5 read in connection with the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an aircraft having a gun mounted flexibly and arranged for side operation according to the invention,

Figs. 2 and 3 are plan and side elevation re- 40 spectively of a gun assembly arranged according to the invention,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary plan of the gun showing the trigger grip, partly in section,

. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of part of the gun,

45 showing the trigger grip,

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6--6 of Fig. 5, Fig. '7 is a plan, partly in section, of the shoulder stock,

Fig. 8 is a side elevation, partly in section of 50 the shoulder stock,

Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8, and Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the forward grip. In Fig. 1 is shown an aircraft ll provided with a cockpit l2 around the edge of which is mount- 55 ed a track l3. Upon this track a carriage l4 may 1937, Serial No. 133,966

be moved, the carriage carrying a gun adapter H: which in turn carries a flexibly mounted gun cradle IS. A machine gun l1, carrying the normal accessories, is mounted for limited reciprocation on the cradle Hi, this being desirable in the case of large caliber machine guns having violent recoil. It will be noted that the mounted gun including the elements I3 to H provides a flexible arrangement whereby the gun may be moved to various aiming positions by the gunner, and likewise, the carriage M may be traversed along the track l3 to cover a Wide field of fire. It will also be noted that the size of the gun ll is such that it occupies a considerable part of the I room available in the cockpit l2 and accordingly, if the aiming and trigger devices were of conventional type, there would be little or no room for the gunner if he were to attempt to position himself behind the gun.

Accordingly, I provide an arm stock fixed to the rearward end of the cradle It; a hand grip 2i carrying trigger actuating devices, mounted on the side of the cradle l6 about forearm length ahead of the stock 20; and a steadying grip 22 (shown in Fig. 2) on the left side of the cradle rather close to the axis of the adapter IS. A right handed gunner may then position himself at the left side of the gun, placing his upper arm against the stock 20, grasping the grip 22 with his left hand, and grasping'the grip 2| with his right hand. In this position, the gunner has full control of the gun and may obtain greater accuracy of fire therewith, while afiording him with a considerable latitude of movement in spite of the relatively small cockpit in which he is accommodated.

Fig. 2 and following, show the details of construction of the several elements above identified. The stock 20 may be formed of any appropriate material, although in the embodiment shown, it comprises a properly contoured metallic shell vertically pivoted at 24 to bracket 25 fixed to one of the rails 26 of the cradle It. A bracket 2! is fixed to the other rail 28 of the cradle, this bracket having formed therein a segment 30 provided with holes 3|. The stock is provided with a channel element 32 embracing the segment 30, which channel carries a locking pin 33 pivoted to a lever 34 in turn hinged to the stock 20 at 35. A spring 35 normally tends to press the lever 34 downwardly so as to hold the pin 33 in engagement with the segment 30. When the pin 33 is alined with any one of the holes 3 I, the pin may engage with the hole to lock the stock in position. This arrangement afiords an adjustment of the ed on a bracket 40 bolted to the cradle member 28,

said bracket being provided with a guard 4| carrying a trigger member 42 which, as shown in Fig. 4, is pivoted to the bracket 40 at 43, the member 42 having a slot 44 engaging the pin'45 of a plung er 46, the latter having a plate 41 engaging the trigger button 48 of the gun H. As the gun reciprocates in recoil with respect to the cradle Hi, the button 68 at all times engages the plate 4'! so that the gun may be kept in operation by con-,

tinued depression of the trigger member 42. The guard M is also provided with a trigger type safety t9 having a dog 50 which, when raised, engages the trigger member 42 to prevent actuation thereof. When the safety 49 is depressed,

the dog 56 disengages the trigger $2 to permit trigger depression.

The grip 22 is indicated in detail in Fig. 10 and is carried by a bracket fixed to the left hand member 26 of the cradle it.

Although the grips 2i and 22 have been referred to above as being located on the right and left hand sides respectively of the cradle it, these may .be transposed, if desired, where the gunner is left handed or where the organization of the gun mount is such as to make a left handed arrangement more convenient.

The stock and grip organization as suggested herein is somewhat analogous to a conventional rifle organization. The environment in which it is here used is believed to produce a novel and improved result over machine gun mountings of the prior art. It should be borne in mind that the stock 20 and the grips 20 and 22 are not mounted directly upon the gun itself but are mounted on the cradle which is relatively free from the shock of recoil. Accordingly, the stock 20 does not serve the purpose of transmitting recoil shock to the shoulder of the gunner, as in the case of a rifle, but rather serves to steady the gun assembly upon the carriage l4. The gunner does not bear the weight of the machine gun through the stock organization.

It is obvious that with the offset position of the gunner with respect to the bore of the gun, appropriate offset sights are readily attached to the gun, or to the carriage, making it unnecessary for the gunner to distort himself in such a manner as to use sights which might be located directly above the gun barrel.

While I have described my invention in detail in its present preferred embodiment, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art, after understanding my invention, that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. I aim in the appended claims to cover all such medi fications and changes.

What I claim is:

1. In a flexible machine gun mount, a movable cradle on which a gun is mounted, lateral extensions on the rear end of said cradle extending respectively from opposite sides thereof, a stock having a wide rear face bridging said extensions, means pivotally mounting one lateral end of said stock on one said extension to maintain a substantially constant distance relation between the stock and cradle ends and means for adjustably positioning and fixing the other lateral end of said stock relative to the other said extension providing a variable distance between said other stock end and said cradle.

2. In a flexible machine gun mount, a stock having a substantially laterally extending groove therein and having substantial lateral width to provide bearing for the substantially horizontally disposed upper arm of a gunner, a cradle on which the gun is mounted extending rearwardly of the gun, a pivot on the rear end of the cradle and toward one side thereof on which one end of said stock is swingably mounted, and means for adjustabl securing the other end of said stock, in any one of several fore and aft positions thereof, upon the other side of the rearward end of said cradle.

CLEM G. TRIMBACH. 

